We Are Mauna Kea - Help get us to the Mountain
Donation protected
Gemma and Bethany are long term committed allies to the We Are Mauna Kea movement. They have stood for over 4 years with Native Hawaiians attempting to protect the most sacred site in Hawaiian culture, Mauna Kea that right now is under threat of desecration by the construction of a thirty meter telescope (TMT). Both living in the UK, they need your help to get them to the Mauna.
The protection of Mauna Kea means everything to us. We may not be native Hawaiian but ever since we became aware of this movement 4 years ago and subsequently connected with Kumu Pua Case, a dedicated Hawaiian cultural leader and her family, not a day has gone by that we haven’t supported, helped raise awareness, spoken about, helped educate others and showed solidarity to the Mauna and her protectors. There has never been a cause that we have felt so strongly about or connected to so deeply.
Over the years we have developed deep friendships with the Kia’i (protectors) and have become part of the Mauna Kea ‘ohana (family), a family we will cherish forever. It has always been our intention to go to Mauna Kea and we have been working hard to fund the trip ourselves however the need to stand on the mountain with the kia’i is now. We have been invited by some of the leaders of the movement to come and support them and so really need your help to raise the rest of the funds needed to get us there.
For those who don’t know, Mauna Kea on Hawai’i Island is the tallest mountain on Earth, from seafloor to summit it is taller than Mount Everest. The mountain is ancestrally, culturally, spiritually and environmentally sacred. Mauna Kea embodies the spirit of the Native Hawaiian people, the Kanaka Maoli, a unifying force that connects all Hawaiians to their ancestors, to one another and their culture. The summit is home to some of their deities and its slopes house many shrines, archaeological sites, ancestral burial grounds, places of ceremony and prayer not to mention many threatened plant and bird species not found anywhere else in the world.
TMT is scheduled to be built on 8 pristine, untouched acres, the size of 3 football fields on the northern summit plateau of the mountain, and if built will stand 18 stories high and 600ft deep. The construction of TMT, in addition to causing irreparable damage to this conservation area, will limit Hawaiian access to their ancestral lands and negatively impact their ability to perpetuate their cultural practises.
For over 10 years there has been an active movement to block the construction of TMT by the kia’i (protectors), lead by native Hawaiian and supported by their allies on the island and around the world. Every time a permit was granted it was appealed in court. In 2014 and 2015 the kia’i stood directly on the Mauna to halt construction resulting in the Supreme Court of Hawai’i invalidated the TMT permits, however in 2018 it conceded allowing construction to once again go ahead.
Since 12 July 2019, the kia’i have stood on the mountain in civil action, blocking the access road to the summit after TMT announced that, despite there being alternative less controversial locations around the world, it would begin construction on Mauna Kea disregarding the ever increasing resistance to the project. Standing in opposition to TMT is not about Hawaiians vs science, it is about much more than a telescope, it is about the continued mismanagement of Hawaiian lands by the fake State of Hawai’i alongside private corporations, the perpetuation of colonial ideals and the multifaceted desecration of Hawaiian culture and native Hawaiian rights.
As committed allies to the protection of Mauna Kea we have been personally invited by leaders of the movement to come to Hawai’i Island as part of a cultural exchange. We will work under their direct guidance for the benefit of the movement and to fully support the kia’i. We will attend Hawaiian cultural immersion classes to intensify our knowledge and understanding of the movement, Hawaiian history, culture and language. We also aim to better understand and document the importance of and most effective roles for non native allies within indigenous and environmental rights movements.
Until Mauna Kea is protected we are fully committed to this movement. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our page. We both don't often ask for help but this time we really do need your help to get us there, hopefully in November.
DONATE - We are humbly asking that everyone who is able, to please donate to this go fund me. Whatever you can give will make a difference, no matter how small, every pound really does help us on our way to the mauna.
SHARE - We do however appreciate that not everyone is able to donate, so we ask that you please share this gofundme as far and wide as you possibly can, DM, Tweet, Email or sing from the rooftops!
If you need more info please get in touch!!!
Many many thanks in advance
Gemma and Bethany x
For more info please email - [email redacted]
IG: G- @gemmarourke B- @loveletterstohumanity
P.s - When you donate please leave us a comment or a message for the kia’i. All messages of support will be written into a book and presented as a gift to the kupuna (elders).
While we have you :) Please consider signing our petition calling for the immediate halt to the TMT project that so far has over 248k signatures.
https://www.change.org/p/gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-the-immediate-halt-to-the-construction-of-the-tmt-on-mauna-kea
Trip commitments
We are committed to:
- being fully transparent with how your money is spent. All donations gratefully received will go to a dedicated PayPal account. A full spending report will be made available upon request.
- donating and donations left over at the end of our trip to the kupuna and kia’i.
- sustainability. To ensure our trip is carbon neutral, with our own money, we will plant enough trees with Mossy Earth to offset the total carbon incurred.
#WeAreMaunaKea
www.puuhuluhulu.com
The protection of Mauna Kea means everything to us. We may not be native Hawaiian but ever since we became aware of this movement 4 years ago and subsequently connected with Kumu Pua Case, a dedicated Hawaiian cultural leader and her family, not a day has gone by that we haven’t supported, helped raise awareness, spoken about, helped educate others and showed solidarity to the Mauna and her protectors. There has never been a cause that we have felt so strongly about or connected to so deeply.
Over the years we have developed deep friendships with the Kia’i (protectors) and have become part of the Mauna Kea ‘ohana (family), a family we will cherish forever. It has always been our intention to go to Mauna Kea and we have been working hard to fund the trip ourselves however the need to stand on the mountain with the kia’i is now. We have been invited by some of the leaders of the movement to come and support them and so really need your help to raise the rest of the funds needed to get us there.
For those who don’t know, Mauna Kea on Hawai’i Island is the tallest mountain on Earth, from seafloor to summit it is taller than Mount Everest. The mountain is ancestrally, culturally, spiritually and environmentally sacred. Mauna Kea embodies the spirit of the Native Hawaiian people, the Kanaka Maoli, a unifying force that connects all Hawaiians to their ancestors, to one another and their culture. The summit is home to some of their deities and its slopes house many shrines, archaeological sites, ancestral burial grounds, places of ceremony and prayer not to mention many threatened plant and bird species not found anywhere else in the world.
TMT is scheduled to be built on 8 pristine, untouched acres, the size of 3 football fields on the northern summit plateau of the mountain, and if built will stand 18 stories high and 600ft deep. The construction of TMT, in addition to causing irreparable damage to this conservation area, will limit Hawaiian access to their ancestral lands and negatively impact their ability to perpetuate their cultural practises.
For over 10 years there has been an active movement to block the construction of TMT by the kia’i (protectors), lead by native Hawaiian and supported by their allies on the island and around the world. Every time a permit was granted it was appealed in court. In 2014 and 2015 the kia’i stood directly on the Mauna to halt construction resulting in the Supreme Court of Hawai’i invalidated the TMT permits, however in 2018 it conceded allowing construction to once again go ahead.
Since 12 July 2019, the kia’i have stood on the mountain in civil action, blocking the access road to the summit after TMT announced that, despite there being alternative less controversial locations around the world, it would begin construction on Mauna Kea disregarding the ever increasing resistance to the project. Standing in opposition to TMT is not about Hawaiians vs science, it is about much more than a telescope, it is about the continued mismanagement of Hawaiian lands by the fake State of Hawai’i alongside private corporations, the perpetuation of colonial ideals and the multifaceted desecration of Hawaiian culture and native Hawaiian rights.
As committed allies to the protection of Mauna Kea we have been personally invited by leaders of the movement to come to Hawai’i Island as part of a cultural exchange. We will work under their direct guidance for the benefit of the movement and to fully support the kia’i. We will attend Hawaiian cultural immersion classes to intensify our knowledge and understanding of the movement, Hawaiian history, culture and language. We also aim to better understand and document the importance of and most effective roles for non native allies within indigenous and environmental rights movements.
Until Mauna Kea is protected we are fully committed to this movement. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our page. We both don't often ask for help but this time we really do need your help to get us there, hopefully in November.
DONATE - We are humbly asking that everyone who is able, to please donate to this go fund me. Whatever you can give will make a difference, no matter how small, every pound really does help us on our way to the mauna.
SHARE - We do however appreciate that not everyone is able to donate, so we ask that you please share this gofundme as far and wide as you possibly can, DM, Tweet, Email or sing from the rooftops!
If you need more info please get in touch!!!
Many many thanks in advance
Gemma and Bethany x
For more info please email - [email redacted]
IG: G- @gemmarourke B- @loveletterstohumanity
P.s - When you donate please leave us a comment or a message for the kia’i. All messages of support will be written into a book and presented as a gift to the kupuna (elders).
While we have you :) Please consider signing our petition calling for the immediate halt to the TMT project that so far has over 248k signatures.
https://www.change.org/p/gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-the-immediate-halt-to-the-construction-of-the-tmt-on-mauna-kea
Trip commitments
We are committed to:
- being fully transparent with how your money is spent. All donations gratefully received will go to a dedicated PayPal account. A full spending report will be made available upon request.
- donating and donations left over at the end of our trip to the kupuna and kia’i.
- sustainability. To ensure our trip is carbon neutral, with our own money, we will plant enough trees with Mossy Earth to offset the total carbon incurred.
#WeAreMaunaKea
www.puuhuluhulu.com
Organizer
G and B to Mauna Kea
Organizer
